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Refugees overwhelm Iraqi passport office

On August 30 the Iraqi passport office in Arbel, northern Iraq, announced it would start accepting applications to issue new passports for refugees from the Nineveh Plain and other areas who fled from ISIS. Within an hour thousands of people came to the office, which was overwhelmed and could not process most of the requests.

The new passports to be issued will be class (A) category, applicable in all parts of Iraq.

The office issued instructions and a list of documents to be submitted by the refugees wishing to obtain a passport. The documents included a letter from the Department of Immigration and Migration, official documents consisting of civil status ID card, Iraqi nationality (citizenship) certificate, financial statements, 3 personal photos with a white background, housing ID card, as well as a passport application form.

200,000 Assyrians fled their homes in the Nineveh Plain when ISIS moved to north of Mosul, as well as from Baghdede, Bartella and Karamles. 150,000 Yazidis fled from Sinjar and Zumar. ISIS stole all money and personal belongings from residents as they fled, including government identification papers.

Many refugees complained that they could not provide the documents required to obtain a new passport, as they had been confiscated by ISIS or left behind in their homes.